Entries Tagged 'Sauce' ↓

I make a version of this chicken and veggie recipe about once a week while we’re getting nice, fresh veggies out of the garden. Once you get it set up on the grill, the components of this dish all work together really well – the chicken juices flavor the veggies while the veggie pan protects the chicken from direct heat.

To make this dish even more conevenient for the summer, I like to do 2 birds at a time. It’s not really much more work, and you end up with plenty of leftovers for no-cook lunches. This time I also bumped up the spice by saucing the birds with Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce at the end of the cook.

The Veggies
6 small Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground back pepper to taste

Lightly oil a 9×13 baking pan. Add the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, season with the salt and a couple of grinds of pepper.

The Birds

2 3-5 pound roasting chickens
4  tablespoons olive oil
2 to 4  tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub (I used John Henry’s Pecan Rub)
1/2 cup Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce

Spatchcocking is easier than it sounds – place the bird in front of you, breast side down. Butterfly the bird by cutting up through the backbone with either a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife. You can repeat this to remove the entire backbone, but I generally don’t.

Spread the bird open like a book and locate the keel bone that sits between the breasts. Nick it with a knife to get it to open up, but don’t cut all the way through. Flip the bird over and press down on the center of the bird until it lies flat.

Clean and rinse the chicken, then pat it dry. Rub both sides of the bird with olive oil and season with the rub, making sure to work some under the skin.

The Cook

Set your grill up for an indirect cook over medium heat (350°F). On the Big Green Egg I use the plate setter to diffuse the heat and set the pan of veggies on top of that. Then put the grill grate on top of the pan and put the chickens, skin side up, on the grate.

Close the lid and cook the chicken and veggies for 30 minutes. Give the veggies a stir and flip the birds over.  Cook for another 30 minutes, then start checking to see if everything is done. The veggies are done when they are tender. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the the temperature has reached 160°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh.

The veggies will most likely be done before the birds. Pull them if they finish first and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. When the chicken is just about done, baste both sides with the sauce. Cook 15 more minutes, and baste again. Cook until the birds are done (about 1 1/2 hours total cooking time) and baste one last time before removing from the grill.

Remove the birds to a cutting board and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Quarter the birds for serving.

I had such luck with the Cherry-Glazed Chicken that I thought I would continue with the meat-meets-sweet-spicy-and-savory theme. The noodle dish is a great complement to the chops and is quick and easy to make.

Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops
1 (10 ounce) jar apricot jam
2 apricots, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free Bragg’s Aminos
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

Mix the jam, soy sauce, vinegar,  sweet chili sauce, garlic, and ginger in a sauce pan over medium heat until blended (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.

Put the chops in a zip-top bag and cover with the marinade.  Toss to coat. Squeeze the air out of the bag, seal it, and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, overnight is better.

Set up your grill for a direct cook over medium (350°F) heat.

Remove the chops from the marinade. Save the marinade into a small saucepan. Add the apricots and and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for about 3 minutes, until the marinade has thickened to the point that it will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Pour off 1/2 cup of the marinade to use for basting the chops. Save the rest to pour over the chops when they are done.

Season the chops on both sides with a little salt and pepper.

Grill the chops 10 minutes on one side, flip and grill another 5 minutes on the second side. Brush with marinade and grill for 5 more minutes. Flip, brush, and grill another 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the pork hits 140°F.

Remove the chops from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved marinade before serving.

Peanut Noodles

You can put it together in advance and stash it in the fridge. Just take it out early so that it comes to room temperature for serving.

2/3 cup peanut butter (natural if possible)
1/4 cup soy sauce or gluten-free Bragg’s Aminos
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
1 – 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

3/4 pound dried spaghetti (use corn or rice noodles to make it gluten-free)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1/2 cup snow peas
3 tablespoons sesame seeds

In a blender, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, water, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, pepper flakes, and ginger. Blend until smooth (about a minute) then pour into a large bowl.

Cook the pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente (if you are going to let this sit in the fridge, shorten the cooking time for a little firmer pasta). Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.

Add the pasta, veggies, and sesame seeds to the dressing. Toss to combine.

Grilled shrimp are one of my favorite appetizers. I marinated these in Tiger Sauce – a sweet and spicy cayenne pepper sauce.

The Cook

1 1/2 pounds large (21/25 count) prawns or shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 cup TryMe Original Tiger Sauce
6-8 bamboo skewers

Place skewers in water to soak.

Toss shrimp in sauce to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Set your grill up for a direct cook over high heat (about 500°F).

Skewer the shrimp – run one skewer through the head end and then another through the tail.

Grill 2-3 minutes per side, or until shrimp turn pink. Don’t over cook.

Serve with more sauce on the side.

These were very tasty,with a good combination of sweet and spicy. If you can’t find Tiger Sauce,  try a  50/50 mix of  Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and Sriracha.

Beef tri-tip is one of my favorite roasts. It’s inexpensive, and because it comes from the bottom of the sirloin, it’s got great beefy flavor while still being lean and tender. I usually just season it with salt, pepper, and a little garlic; but this time I wanted to spice things up and go with a West Indian theme.

Pickapeppa Tri-tip

1/2 cup Classic Pickapeppa Sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Habanero-based hot sauce (I used Marie Sharp’s)

Combine all of the ingredients, except the beef, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Put the beef in a Ziploc bag and cover with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high heat (about 400°F). This cut is so lean that you really don’t want to cook it much beyond medium-rare. Cook the roast for 30 minutes. Flip, and continue to cook until the internal temperature hits 125°F, about another 20 minutes.

Remove the roast to a carving board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice across the grain and serve with more Pickapeppa sauce on the side.

We try to do salmon at least once a week. This is just a simple oven-roasted version.  I originally made the sauce to go with corned beef and cabbage, but its tangy richness also goes very well with salmon.

Roasted Salmon

2  (6 ounce) salmon fillets with skin, wild caught is best
1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rub salmon with olive oil and lay skin side down on the paper. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Lift the meat from the skin with a thin metal spatula and transfer to a plate.  Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of the sauce.

Horseradish Mustard Sauce

1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Dash kosher salt

Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, and salt in a small bowl. Let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the flavors all get to know each other.

I finally got a chance to try the award-winning Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce. I was (of course) going to try it on a batch of wings, but dinner plans for the weekend called for something a little more substantial. So I matched the sauce with chicken thighs and my version of the corn pudding from The Grand Central Baking Book via Caroline Russock at Serious Eats.

Suck Creek Thighs

8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on
1-2 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub (I used John Henry’s Texas Chicken Tickler)
1/2 cup Suck Creek’s Original Hot Wing Sauce

About 2 hours before cooking, dust the thighs with the rub, lay them out in a single layer on a sheet pan, and let them sit uncovered in the fridge. This step not only to seasons the thighs but also dries the skin out a bit to keep it crispy.

Set the grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high  (400°F) heat. On the Big Green Egg I used the plate setter to diffuse the heat and added a raised grid to get the thighs crispier still by moving them up into the the hotter part of the dome.

Put the thighs on the grill skin side down, close the lid,  and let them cook for 30 minutes. Flip them and let them go another 20 minutes.

Check for doneness -  when the juices run clear and the internal temperature in the largest thigh hits 160°F , brush the thighs on both sides with the wing sauce. Let them cook 10 minutes more and brush them again. Let them cook  5 more minutes, brush one last time, remove them to a warm plate, and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Corn Pudding

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix to make it gluten-free.)
2/3 cup (3 ounces) cornmeal
2  tablespoons finely chopped dried chives
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of your favorite barbecue rub (Dizzy Pig’s Dizzy Dust this time)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 (15.25 ounce) can corn, drained
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) whole milk
2 tablespoons butter or bacon grease, melted
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheated the oven to 350°F and greased a 2 1/2 quart casserole. The original recipes calls for a 8×8 cake pan, but the casserole gives it a more pudding-like consistency.

The drys – combine the flour, cornmeal, chives, sugar, salt, baking powder, rub, pepper flakes, and baking soda  into a large bowl and mix well.

The wets – melt the butter (or bacon grease, which I used) in a medium bowl. Add the corn, milk, eggs, cheese, and vinegar and beat until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour the batter into the casserole, then (I love this part!) pour the cream right into the center without stirring.

Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes (I put the casserole in the oven right before I put  the thighs on the grill). It’s done when it still quivers slightly in the middle when shaken. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.

The Verdict

Suck Creek makes some serious wing sauce – great flavor with plenty of heat. Thick and not too vinegary, with lots of herbaliciousness going on. The heat is right up front, but it’s not overwhelming and it doesn’t build or linger. I was afraid it would be a little too much on the thighs without some kind of creamy dip to cool it down, but it really perked up the chicken without covering it up. This is one of the best wing sauces I have ever tried.

Great minds think alike.

I had just finished reading Andrea Lynn’s post about her Search for the Green Peruvian Aji Sauce Recipe, when my dear wife called from the mercado and asked if I needed anything.

“Well, honey, I do need a few things…”

Crema de Ají

1 fresh jalapeño, seeded, deveined, and sliced
1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste
10 sprigs cilantro leaves and stems
2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Put the salt and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the garlic is minced. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the mayonnaise, and process until a smooth paste forms. Add the mayonnaise and mix to combine. Makes about 1 cup.

Tacos Cecina de Res

Cecina de res is a very thin-sliced beef that’s been seasoned with salt and oil.

Heat a large fry pan medium-high heat. Cut the meat into into tortilla-length strips that will fit flat in the pan. Working 1 or 2 pieces at a time, lay the strips on the hot pan for about  30 seconds, flip and go another 30 seconds on the other side.  Remove to a warm holding plate.

We served the tortillas topped with cecina and a shmear of  crema de aji. The great beef taste of the cecina really befitted from the green heat and tang of the sauce.

I love grilled wings – crispy, sweet, spicy, tangy, juicy, smoky – what’s not to love? I just look for excuses to make them. This batch was an experiment in making my own wing sauce. I’ve tried a lot of the bottled sauces and been happy (sometimes ecstatic) with most of them, but I still wanted to try my hand at creating my own unique sauce.

3-4 pounds chicken wings (about 16-24 wings), cut at the joint into two pieces
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon medium chili powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the wings and the butter and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the butter and boil for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Makes about 2 cups.

In a large container with a lid, combine half the sauce with the wings and and shake to make sure that they are well-covered. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, turning the pieces occasionally.

Set up your grill for an indirect cook at 400°F. Use a pan under the grate to catch any drippings and further diffuse the heat.

When the grill is ready, put the wings on the grill and cook undisturbed for 30 minutes. Flip and cook for another 30 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

Pour remaining sauce into a large bowl Add the wings and toss to mix well. Move to a plate and serve with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.

The Verdict

While these were some tasty wings, there’s plenty of room for improvement:

• They had just a little heat up front, but it lingered and built. I liked it, but by the 4th wing or so some folks found them a little overwhelming. Next time I’d go down to 1 teaspoon cayenne and add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle.
• Way too much vinegar. I’ll leave out the white vinegar entirely and double the balsamic and maybe add a 1/4 cup or so of beer.
• More sweet – double the brown sugar.
• Maybe a tablespoon of ketchup or tomato sauce to help meld the flavors.
• The grocery store was out of fresh wings,  so I had to use frozen -  never again, no way, no how – the frozen ones are much smaller and the texture just isn’t as good.
• To marinate or not marinate: that is the question. Marinating gets me a deeper flavor. Not marinating gets me a dryer skin, which means a crispier wing. Not sure which I like more.

Well, it looks like I’ll be be running a few more tests. The nice thing about experimenting with food is that you get to eat your mistakes.

Pickapeppa sauce is kind of the Jamaican version of a Worcestershire or steak sauce. It’s a spicy/sweet/savory blend of tomatoes, onions, cane vinegar, peppers, mangoes, raisins, tamarind, and secret spices. While it smells a lot like jerk seasoning, it doesn’t have anywhere near the heat. Often called “Jamaican ketchup,” you can use it as a condiment, a barbecue sauce, or (as in this recipe) a marinade.

8-12 chicken thighs
1 bottle Classic Pickapeppa Sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine all of the ingredients, except the chicken, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Put the chicken in a Ziploc bag and cover with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, overnight is better, 48 hours rocks.

Set your grill up for an indirect cook over medium-high  (400°F) heat. Put the thighs on the grill skin side down. Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes. Flip and cook  until the internal temperature has reached 180°F in the thickest part of the thighs, about another 40 minutes.

When the chicken is done, remove it to a warm plate and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with more Pickapeppa sauce and a Caribbean hot sauce on the side.